The Caucus: Anti-hagel Groups Emboldened After Confirmation Hearing

We're being told again that it would be bad for Democrats to oppose "everything" Donald Trump is doing. In a Rolling Stone story about Democrats' supine response to Trump this time around, Andrew Perez and Asawin Suebsaeng quote a Democratic operative: “I think it’s important to distinguish between capitulation to Trump in a way that betrays Democratic values, versus constructive pragmatism,” says Jesse Lehrich, a former 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign spokesman.

I cannot escape this feeling that even more than in Trump's first term, this second incarnation is nothing more than an elaborate practical joke played on the American public and the world. Source: Sky News, Australia President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration portrait has been unveiled just days away from his official swearing-in ceremony. Trump and vice president-elect JD Vance, whose portrait was also revealed on social media by chief photographer Daniel Torok, will become the next leaders of the United States on January 20. It did not take long for people to compare Trump’s portrait to his mug shot from August 2023, when the Republican leader turned himself in at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, after he was indicted by a grand jury on racketeering charges. Trump went on to raise $US7.1 million in merchandise emblazoned with his ultra viral mug shot. Mr Trump's former adviser Stephen Miller told Fox News host Jesse Waters the mugshot is the "most powerful image" he's seen. “One man and his two eyes looked straight into the hearts of the American people and said, 'I will not give up … I will not surrender'." Social media users said the inauguration portrait was “oddly similar” to the mugshot, and wondered if it was intentional. read more

As a U. S. Senate committee held a confirmation hearing for Russell Vought—Republican President-elect Donald Trump's pick to head the White House Office of Management and Budget—progressive critics underscored what they called the extremism of the controversial nominee, who played a key role in crafting a proposed initiative to expand executive power and purge the federal civil service. Vought—who was questioned Wednesday by members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee—served as both acting director and director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during Trump's first term.

Rachel Maddow is expanding her on-air presence for the first 100 days of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, the network announced Monday. Via CNN: Maddow’s show, MSNBC’s highest rated program, has only aired once a week since 2022 when she stepped away to focus on other projects, including films, books and podcasts.

The fatuous felon called in and started rambling on Newsmax about how he tried to save Los Angeles during his first term as doddering old man in chief: They, they're gonna try and blame the fires in Los Angeles is they'll probably try and blame us for that You know, I was when I was president.

On Fox News' Outnumbered, host Gerri Willis defended the cadre of billionaires trying to rule the United States of America by sucking up to Trump. I mean, they've created so many good things for us! Ugh. Fox News is predictably in love with uber-rich tech broligarchs who support Demented Donald. WILLIS: Where is the credit for these guys?